Using a flash or bright lights can disorient nesting sea turtles or hatchlings. Sea turtle experts at Mote advise against trying to photograph nesting sea turtles. “Adults in the nesting process can be scared away very easily, so it’s best to keep your distance.” “ are a protected species, so it’s illegal to interact with them in any way,” says Melissa Bernhard, senior biologist with Mote’s sea turtle conservation and research program. If you happen to get lucky enough to see a female nesting or some newborns hatching, observe from afar.
When setting up your chairs and umbrellas on the sand, steer clear of active turtle nesting sites, which are marked by wooden stakes and yellow/orange caution tape. For visitors, that means following some simple dos and don’ts when you’re at the beach or staying at a beachfront rental or hotel. Local sea turtle nesting success depends on everyone doing their part to make the process from egg to escape go as smoothly as possible. Mote’s data from the 2021 nesting season reported that sea turtles laid a total of 3,786 nests on the stretch of beaches Mote monitors from Longboat Key to Venice, 3,697 from loggerhead sea turtles and 89 from green sea turtles. Loggerhead turtles are a particular focus in this area, since Sarasota County hosts the highest density of loggerhead nests in the Gulf of Mexico. This work is done in coordination with county, state, and federal efforts to conserve sea turtles, and Mote’s findings each nesting season contribute to the statewide picture of sea turtle nesting trends. The Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota monitors 35 miles of beaches in Sarasota and neighboring Manatee County daily to check for new sea turtle nests. Beginning typically in July, the baby sea turtles start hatching and embark on their journey back into the Gulf of Mexico. During the first half of the season, female sea turtles come on shore to build their nests and lay their eggs. That’s because May 1 through October 31 is sea turtle nesting season in these parts.
If you head to Sarasota County’s beaches this time of year, you might find you’re not the only one settling in on the sand-and that you have company of the non-human kind.
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